Letters to the Editor: 03.18.10

Although Donna Keiser ("Point misunderstood," Feb. 20) did not explain the details in her first letter, I do understand.

No matter what the governmental entity, they are supposedly put in office to protect the taxpayers, which has nothing to do with not respecting its employees.

The taxpayers of Nueces County pay hefty property and sales taxes. Is it fair for us to make up the difference in your health care when there are many of us on fixed income?

No matter the pay scale, an increase of $387.84 for a year is very, very, reasonable.

My husband and I have the pleasure of paying $200 a month for (insurance) from the employer he retired from after 31-½ years, which pays nothing until we spend $5,000 out of pocket in one year. The company did this to all its retirees, and then had the nerve to take bailout money, and continues to do business as usual. Does $387.84 a year still seem unreasonable?

We must all pay or have socialism rammed down our throats, and believe me you don't want that. Every citizen in this country right now is suffering for what is being done in Washington, but nothing can compare to how our children and their children are going to suffer in the future.

Kris Schaffer

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Wasteful mail

We received a letter from the United States Department of Commerce telling us that they would be sending us the 2010 Census form in the mail. They also sent one addressed to our garage, literally. My question to Robert M. Groves, Director of the U.S. Census Bureau is why waste all that money sending us a letter first? Apparently there is some protocol I just don't understand. How many businesses would have the money to send out millions of letters telling people that they will receive another letter? I just don't get it.

Donna Morgan

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Why demolish it?

After reading "It will come down" (Feb. 27) by Harley F. Doerfler, as a veteran and a citizen of this beautiful city for most of my life, my question is why must this beautiful building be demolished? What if the City Council of San Antonio decided to demolish the Alamo? If they did, the City Council would probably be tarred and feathered. There will never be another building that holds the memories our coliseum holds. What can the chosen few be thinking? Can progress really be this important by destroying the memories of our heroes who gave their lives so we could enjoy walking the streets of America? This bunch should be put on one of the termite-infested Spanish fleet ships and sail to a new sunset, never to return.

I was in Korea from 1950 to 1952, wounded twice, frostbitten hands and feet, no telling what kind of diseases I could have gotten, slept in fox holes at 40 below zero, can still hear the screams of women and children taking their last breath, and the many young soldiers, Marines and sailors who will never walk our streets again. Yet we elected people who have no respect for our veterans, for all in the name of progress. I can't believe this garbage. Where is the respect for the ones who made the streets of this country safe for our children? May God have mercy on these poor, misguided money-hungry souls.

Clarence Calaway, Robstown

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Usefulness past

Concerning the coliseum, let's get rational just once. This old building needs to come down. Its days of usefulness are long past.

Oh, and it shouldn't upset any veterans if we finally do the right thing. My dad was a 30-year Navy man and World War II vet; I spent 30 years in the Air Force and am a Vietnam vet; my brother was a 30-year Army soldier and a Gulf War vet. We don't need memorials and such to let us know that we did our duty. For those that do, build yourselves a statue and save the rest of us a ton of money!

Glenn Odom

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Standing up

Thank you, Ms. Berlanga, for standing up for Hispanics. My great-grandfather, Eulalio Marin, earned a reputation for fighting for the integration of public schools. His overall objective through example and mutual exchange of concepts was an understanding and recognition of an appreciation for the dignity, worth and potential of all individuals. It was 1928 that he began this fight, so that all individuals would be treated as equal. Here we are in 2010 and it seems like nothing has really changed. So, Ms. Berlanga, thank you for walking out... because as far as I am concerned you were just standing up!